I'm going to a convention in Boston next weekend. At that convention, I'm going to be on several panes, but in addition to that, I'm doing a fanfiction reading. Yep, people are going to listen to me while I read my fanfic. Why would anyone want to do that?

So, I have 25 minutes in which to present a group of listeners with the best possible selection of my writing that I can read in that 25-minute window.

I got everyone's comments on my last post. I've only been online sporadically because I'm on vacation at my mom's house now, and have been running around seeing friends I've not seen in a long time. I'm going to try to reply to some of them in a minute, but there's no way I'll be able to reply to everyone. Please don't be mad at me for not replying to everyone. I feel bad because it feels like I'm ignoring people, but I'm not.

Anyway, even though it doesn't seem like it now, there was more to the convention than just meeting Shatner. It was the singular most unexpected thing, that's for sure, and the flashiest occurrence, but it wasn't the whole story. Not even close.

I managed to get in line to ask him question during his presentation at the convention, and was close enough to the front of the line that I got to the microphone.

I asked him the question I've wanted to ask the man for years -- in short, does his portrayal of Kirk mean something to him (beyond just a paycheck), and what aspect of his role in Star Trek does he want to be remembered for. I told him that his role as Kirk had an influence on my military career.

He asked for me to tell him about that, in more detail. I said it was a long story and didn't want to monopolize the microphone. He said to break it down into one-liners and tell the story anyway. So I did. A very abbreviated version, but I told my story, and explained the key things that Kirk did or said that had the most direct impacts on my life and career.

The Shat had a moment. He really did. I watched as the wall came down, and he looked at me as I told this story, with this look of complete enthrallment on his face.

And yes, the wall came down. He talked about how he talked with Patrick Stewart, who spoke of his role as Captain of the Enterprise with pride, and said that yes, the role meant something more than just a paycheck and a simple sci-fi role, and that it matters. And that hearing it from another "serious" actor like Patrick Stewart made him think about it, and reconsider. And that he started hearing the stories from fans who have been deeply inspired.

And he said that after the original series was over, people would shout out to him, "Beam me up, Scotty," and stuff like that, and he started to wonder if people were mocking him. And suddenly, I understood why Shatner would be defensive and stand-offish to fans. It makes sense.

We chatted back and forth, and he held out his hand and asked me to come up and shake his hand. He gave me a strong, warm handshake, and I looked at him, and I just wanted to give him a hug. So I asked.

He pulled me up on stage and gave me a hug that felt like the sort of hug you give to a friend you haven't see in years but miss dearly. And I said in his ear, "Thank you." And he said, "Thank you."

(By the way, he isn't tall.)

I cried. I think he got misty eyed. Everyone in the room had a moment.

I'm still a bit in shock.

I've said many times that I wasn't sure what I thought of Shatner. I'd heard enough stories back and forth, positive and negative, that I didn't know what to think. I said that I would reserve judgement until I met him for myself.

You know, I think I completely failed to mention on my LJ (or anywhere else) that I was planning to attend Arisia in Boston this year. So... HI FROM ARISIA IN BOSTON! Yeah, to put it simply, unless I'm on my death bed, I'll be at Arisia every year. I fucking love this convention. I love the awesome people I meet, the incredible thoughts and ideas that are shared, and the epic levels of WIN I experience here from so many sources.

Too many positive things to list them all, and the convention isn't over yet, but to summarize:

1. Panels I've attended have been fantastic. I've learned a lot. And damn, I need to add to my reading list.

2. Panels I've been on so far have been mostly quite good, and I was very privileged to have the chance to contribute to the Gender panel.

3. As always, it's wonderful to see old friends. Just as wonderful to meet new friends.

4. My own challenges with my health have continued to be lessons in humility - eye opening, sobering, but also reminders that I'm not alone here. Two weeks ago, other than my migraines, I felt pretty damned good. On Monday last week, I started a flare-up. It's been rough here at the con, but I'm having fun. Just learning to balance things.

Okay, so the con itself doesn't start until Friday, technically, but I'm leaving (oh a jet plane) in about 48 hours.

The problems: I'm not packed. My Dawn costume is not done. I'm still in severe pain and wondering how I'm going to physically handle simply getting around the convention for the weekend, never mind PARTICIPATING in stuff like the parade and the Dawn competition.

The AWESOME: Dude, it's DRAGON*CON. I am going to be meeting up with awesome people. There will be geeks, Star Trek, panels, parties, and so much more.

THE QUESTION: WHO'S COMING? I know my wife posted to find out who's gonna be at D*Con from her flist. Who's coming from my flist? Who wants to meet up? Come on fandom, show me some love! Let's do coffee. Who's in?

Okay, remember how I said that I wasn't going to go to Infinitus? And then I said I WAS going, but that I was kinda indifferent?

Infinitus was AMAZING.

Yeah, you heard me. I'll give you guys a more detailed write-up later, but seriously, pinkfinity was right - this was the one HP con that you just shouldn't have missed. The Night of a Thousand Wizards was really THAT incredible. I was so happy to see people again. And going around the park on Sunday was... okay, I'll save the details for later. But really, you should have been there.

HPEF is doing another con in 2012. I know, this isn't my primary fandom anymore... but the PEOPLE, man. The PEOPLE. No other group of people in the world are like the HP fandomers.

Now... if only we could limit the Wizard Rock to one room instead of letting it spill into every hallway, open space, and orifice of the convention.

The Damsels of Dorkington, a set of three lovely ladies plus one, are a comedy/satire/Shakespearean troupe who did a music video at VisonCon, a small convention in Springfield, MO. They grabbed as many "nerds" as possible to fill in to make the footage for the video. You can see mizuno_caitlin and coldfireserge at various points in the video, and if you look around 1:30 and 2:04, you'll see me. I'm the Hobbit in the back, dancing on the table. :D

I'm back from Arisia (geek convention in Boston), and I had a blast. As always. I love cons. I love the people, the discussions, the randomness, the geekery, the excitement, the energy, the experience... all of it. Arisia is an amazing convention, and if anyone feels like traveling for anything smaller than Dragon*Con, then Arisia is the regional convention to attend. SO. MUCH. FUN. I absolutely love it every time.

What I don't love is feeling like I've been hit by a steam roller.

I went into Arisia already feeling a bit under the weather. Not sick like a cold, but sick like dizzy and fatigued and faintly icky. Now, I seem to have a very mild head cold on top of already feeling icky. Feels like I've been kicked in the gut by a horse. Vision is oddly blurry. And gods, I just want to lie down. But I'm at work, and I still have more work to do.

So now, I'm going to go play with radioactive waste. WOO-freakin'-HOO. And then I'm going to try to complete another training module for general HAZMAT qualification renewal. And then I'm going to go home and collapse. But I can't really collapse... for two reasons.

#1. I'm going to ANOTHER convention this weekend, and I need to wash, dry, fold, and re-pack all of my costumes.

#2. It's my wife's birthday, and I am determined to do SOMETHING for it.

So, in summary: Arisia was awesome. I am *ded*. I will post in detail about Arisia when I am not!*ded*. Also, happy birthday DeForest Kelley - you are missed. And Happy Birthday fiona_fawkes - I love you, hun.

Our slashy, geeky fandom reunion event (lovingly known as the Non-Con) has hit a bit of a snag. Due to unforseen circumstances, some people had to drop out. We're unable to make the minimum number of room reservations required by our contract with the hotel.

HOWEVER...

One thing I've been noticing is how many cross-fandom friends I have. I don't want to restrict this event to Harry Potter fandom. A LOT of Potter fandomers are also fans of Star Trek, Doctor Who, Merlin, Torchwood, Supernatural, and much MUCH MORE. So... can we put out a call to SLASHERS? Other geeks who hold similar interests?

Who would be interested in coming to Kansas City on the weekend of October 9th - 11th to hang out with a bunch of friendly, slashy, pervy geeks?

See the slasher_familycommunity for more details. If you're interested, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE contact me or fiona_fawkesASAP to iron out details about room reservations and so on.

And PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE - CROSS POST THIS. Tell other people about it. Spread the word. If you know anyone who might be interested, or a community where other people might be interested, please pass it on.

Okay ladies and gentlegeeks, time is getting short for the upcoming Slasher Fandom Reunion here in Kansas City.

For those of you who haven't been paying attention, let me tell you a little bit about it. This is a convention without the convention. All the stuff you love about convention without the formal programming to get in the way. That basically gives us more time to do the naughty stuff we actually came to do anyway.

The Non-Con has:- NO REGISTRATION FEE.- Suite rooms for $129 per night for up to four people. (You should see these suites, guys - they're awesome. Wet bar/kitchenette and all.)- Free, hot, cooked-to-order breakfasts.- Free cocktail reception each night we're there (yes, that means booze included for two hours each evening).- A swanky swimming pool and hot tub. HOT TUB. Come on guys! HOT TUB.- A large gaggle of pervy slashy fandom friends.- Drabble and Drawble sessions.- Impromptu round-table discussions.- An outing to a local drag show.- Sightseeing and silliness in the best part of Kansas City.- Reduced internet rate for our group.

So, what are you waiting for? Go to THIS POST for registration information. You need to register by this Friday. Be sure to use the group code "HPF" to get our discount when registering, and for your room reservation to count towards the number of rooms we've agreed to book.

Then, please join the slasher_family community for more information, to find roommates, and PLEASE PLEASE let fiona_fawkes know that you've reserved a room. We need to keep track of how many rooms our group has booked. Visit THIS POST for the most recent information.

Okay, so this is somehow totally my fault, I'm sure. And no, I'm not being sarcastic.

I know full well that I got an absolutely inadequate amount of sleep during Dragon*Con. Was it worth it? FUCK YES. The things I saw, the people with whom I spoke, the things I got to experience - TOTALLY worth it. And now it's time to pay the piper.

Body aches, muscle cramps, sore back, sore throat, stuffed up nose, chest congestion, and dear gods my ears HURT. I got dizzy trying to bring a bag of trash out to the curb, so I'm pretty much sitting on the couch, drinking hot tea and attempting to work on a fanfic. I'd thought about trying to go to work this afternoon (called in sick for the morning), but there's no way.

As I said, this is my own damned fault, and I know it. I stayed up late almost every night, geeking out with some of the finest Star Trek geeks I've had the privilege to meet - some famous, some not. Klingon Kareoke. Oh yes.

Anyway, I'm here, I'm sick, I'm writing, and I'd love to chat with anyone who happens to be around. I might post more about Dragon*Con later, but for now, I really ought to work on this fic. It's really coming together. :)

Okay, so the title should say it all, but seriously, there's so much to say. This has been so fucking fantastic that I can't even begin to put it into words, but as you all know me, I'm going to try. I'm on the airplane right now, so I may have to cut this short and just post what I've written when they tell me to put the computer away. So here goes...

CELEBRITIES: Yes, this is Dragon*Con, and yes, there are famous folks afoot. Because pinkfinity is an amazing human being, she shocked and stunned and surprised me when I got a phone call on Sunday morning from one of her friends who was still at the convention telling me that she'd left a photo shoot pass to get my picture taken with Tom Felton. Of course, I was still in bed when she called, hadn't showered, was over-exhausted from staying up WAY too late (duh, it's D*Con), and had planned to sleep in. So, I rush through a shower, get into Quidditch robes, find out what time the photo op window was, and race to the Mariott from my hotel. I get there just in time, and... okay, so I go in for my turn, Tom looks at me, grins and says, "Oh, hello Daniel." I guess I make a good Harry if one of the actors calls me by the other actor's name. Oh, and I got him to hold the wand and... I said, "Would you hold my broomstick with me? I swear it's safe." He gives me this look, then looks amused and goes right along with it. Either way, he was pleasant, it was fun, and aside from the fact that the humidity totally flattened my hair, the photo looks great.

However, I spent almost ALL of my time in TrekTrak.

OMG TrekTrak. I had the best fucking time EVER. I got to see Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner. Those two are a freakin' hoot. And... I think I like Shatner a bit more now. I'll tell you about that later. I got to see Patrick Stewart. And actually, the best parts were meeting and talking to the not-as-huge stars of the Trek universe. Please allow me to state for the record that Kate Mulgrew is an incredible human being, and that whereas I was always a fan of Voyager and always liked her character, I am now a fan of HER, completely aside from her role as the fictional Kathryn Janeway. But seriously, everyone I saw and met... they were all fantastic. The other fans, the people who ran the events, the panelists, EVERYONE. I don't even know how to begin talking about the amazingness that was TrekTrak.

And oh shit... my battery is running out. We're getting close to home anyway. I'll post more later! STORIES. OMG I have stories to tell...

Okay, this is the first post, but it won't be the last. I am in complete FLAIL-mode, even though I am utterly exhausted and sleep-deprived and jet-lagged. I can't even begin to list the endless keyboard-smash of squee and the names-list of people I met. Here's a run-down of the week, sectioned into relevant bite-sized pieces:

Spent the weekend at the local sci-fi/fantasy convention known as ConQuest.

I admit, I wasn't sure what to make of it at first. I'm used to arriving at a convention and seeing people in costumes everywhere, and just FEELING the excitement buzzing throughout the hotel. I arrived at the Crown Center Hyatt on Friday and I had to ask myself if I was in the right hotel. I saw maybe a dozen fellow geeks.

No problem, I thought. They would come. But no.

Attendance, including the gamers (who don't have a full registration) was barely over 600. There were about 470 with full registrations. Only a handful of people wore costumes. There was a very limited programming schedule. It was eerily quiet.

BUT. And yes, that's a big BUT...

These people know how to party. There were a couple of really awesome discussion panels I attended, but the real key to this convention is the tight-knit community and the parties. SERIOUSLY. Fi and I had a room on the party floor and... it was an absolute blast. Cool people.

So, I had fun. Lots of fun. It was very different from other conventions I've attended, but I enjoyed it for what it was instead of lamenting what it wasn't. I'm going to go again, for sure.

Okay, so for the past two Memorial Day weekends, Fi and I have gone to Heartland Pagan Fest. This year, however, the prices are insanely high (almost $200 for the weekend), and we've been distracted by the far-less-expensive alternative: ConQuest, the local Sci-fi/fantasy/geekery convention.

So, this year, there shall be no naked dancing around enormous bonfires while we drum and celebrate deep into the night. However, there shall be Hobbits and Jedi and Trekkies - OH MY!

The only question is... do any local or regional geeks want to join us? You can still register for ConQuest at the door, and at $55 for the weekend, it's a fraction of the cost of Harry Potter conventions. For those who can't afford the hotel, we have enough room for SOME people to stay at our house (at the discretion of fiona_fawkes and me - NOT an open invite for the whole world, sorry). Our house is just a couple of miles from the convention center. There will be geekery and room parties and costumes and panels and more geekery.

Anyone interested? I heard a rumor that at least ONE person (*pokes dramedy *) was interested, if she could find people to drive down with her from a nearby state. Come on, people! Who's feeling spontaneous and geeky?